Sitting, pint of Palm in hand, we recently found ourselves cancelling a table at a restaurant in favour of investing a few more hours in this pub. It's like that in here. You don't want to leave. Huge paintings and sculptures sit well with an otherwise unfussy decor. There're plenty of places to sit around the magnificent island bar that is stocked with a great range of lager and ales. The wine list is pretty good too, with the house red treating us very nicely. They have their own cricket team and on our last visit there were various footy teams in for their post-game pint, providing a good atmosphere in comparison to other visits when the pub can feel a little bit too 'Stokey' for those that don't take kindly to that sort of thing (the person next to us was alone reading Proust...). And what of dinner? They don't sell food but they happen to be located next to an excellent pizza place that serve light, crispy pizzas with excellent toppings (try the pepperoni). Order from there and bring it in to the pub. To cap it all the juke box brimming with great LPs including Waits, Young and Drake. Recommended.

Best London pub - full stop... love this place. Stunning jukebox, great beer, pickled eggs and pizza from next door. Dark wooden floors and furniture, crackling fire, deep velvet curtains and a giant flying statue on one wall... it's what winter nights were made for.

Quiz night - quiz night Monday

From Dalston Train Station, turn left and walk up Kingsland Road until it joins Stoke Newington Road. Turn left down Brighton Road, walk to the end, turn left and follow the bend round into Allen Rd. You will see the pub on the right-hand side.